


Mists of time

by daisybelle



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Magical Realism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 06:24:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10634124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisybelle/pseuds/daisybelle
Summary: In a world where magic is based on five elements – earth, wind, fire, water, and time – Wo Fat manages to travel back in time to kill Steve or his ancestors. Steve’s only chance is Danno who uses his immortality to send Steve back on a chase through time.





	1. Present time - The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the H50 Big Bang 2017 - Art by the super amazing (and very patient) GeckoGirl89. 
> 
> Here is the link to the amazing fanart: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10639029

 

 

“Kono, Chin, Lou, are you ready?“

“Yes, we are in position.”

Steve waited for his team’s confirmation and Danny’s nod before he closed his eyes and felt the magic tickling in his fingertips. He reached out mentally to his time members and could feel their presence right there under his  magic – Kono’s fire, Chin’s deep rooted calm, Lou’s growling like a storm rattling at a hay barn, and of course, Danno’s steady calm. It amused Steve to no end that Danny’s magic always seemed so steady, so calm – of course fitting for a time magic, but so in contrast to his persona. But he had come to need it, both, Danny’s ability to speak his mind, no matter what, and his calming magic.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on the little things that made out his partner. They had a case to solve: four murdered tourists. And all signs pointed to Wo Fat. Steve really hoped this time they would get hold of him. The evidence had brought them to the old factory building in front of them, on the outskirts of Honolulu. A witness had seen Wo Fat going in, but nobody had left the building.

There was no way to get a look what happened inside the building, that’s why Steve had decided to use one of his team’s strengths. As far as he knew it was rare that a unit consisted of magicians of all five elements. It gave them the unique ability to defend themselves against most magical criminals (as well as the ‘normal’ ones), but also to break most of magic protection spells.

Unfortunately it failed them this time.

Steve could feel his team’s struggles. They were too far away from the ocean for him to get a magical source and with the lack of rain in the last few days there wasn’t even a puddle where he could source strength from. He felt Chin cursing the concrete that covered the surrounding area, he needed a least some natural soil for his magic to work. Usually they solved lack of fire for Kono with a lighter, but since it was one of the rare days when there was no wind, Lou also struggled.  Steve stopped their magical scan after a few minutes.

“Okay, we have to do it the old-fashioned way.”

“You mean, knocking down the door, shooting at everything that moves, and asking questions those who survive?” Danno quipped and Steve grinned.

“Exactly.” Steve heard Danno’s exasperated sigh but also saw the amused gleam in his eye.

“On my mark.”

Steve waited until Chin, Kono, and Lou had given their sign that they were waiting at the backdoor.

“Okay, let’s go in.“

Steve shared a look with Danno before he kicked in the door to warehouse, his gun raised. It turned out that the warehouse was just one large empty room. The only sign of life was in the middle of the room. He was aware of the rest of his team, entering at the back, but his attention was on the two figures in the middle of the warehouse. One of them, a woman, was kneeling next to a pot. The pot hung over an open fire. There was no smoke.

“Magical fire,” he whispered, more sensing than seeing Danno’s nod. Steve’s main concentration was on the man behind the women.

Wo Fat.

There was no sign that he had noticed their approach. He stood still, seemed almost petrified. It was a strange sight. Especially since he didn’t wear his usual tailored clothes, but some simple linen clothes that seemed several decades out of date. When they stepped nearer to the pair they could see that the woman’s right hand was tied behind her back, the rope also immobilizing her legs. Steve had seen enough.

“Five oh, drop your weapon,” he ordered, but wasn’t terribly surprised when Wo Fat didn’t follow his request.

But at least he lost his unmoving stance and shot a smirk in Steve’s direction.

“I don’t think so,” he replied.

Instead he took a bottle out of his pocket, filled it with the content of the pot, before he raised it to toast mockingly “To eternity, Steve McGarrett”. He swallowed the content of the bottle and let it drop before Steve could react.

For a moment everything seemed frozen. Wo Fat stared at him and then he disappeared.

Steve crossed the space in an instant, but the space remained empty.

“Kono,” he ordered while turning around and trying to make out any kind of movement. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Danny and Lou do the same while Chin kept an eye on Kono.

“Steve, he is not here,” she finally said, “I can’t sense any other fire magic in this room, only residue from him, and it’s fading fast.”

“But where did he go?” Steve scanned the warehouse once again, but it remained empty.

“Probably a transportation spell,” Lou suggested.

“He never used them before and they are not really reliable,” Chin countered.

A sob drew their attention to the woman. Slowly they came closer, all of them still wary of their surroundings.

“Are you alright?” Steve asked, kneeling down next to her and starting to undo the bonds.

The woman only sobbed harder and it took Steve some time to decipher to words between her sobs.

“I’m so sorry, he forced me, I’m so sorry.”

“What did he force you to do?” Steve asked her calmly, carefully massaging her wrists to calm her down and to start her blood flow. He looked up and with a slight nod ordered Lou to get a paramedic. “What did you do?”

She just sobbed harder. In the meantime Chin had taken the bottle that Wo Fat had dropped and sniffed at it cautiously.

“And,” Danno asked while Steve still tried to get the woman to talk to them.

“Smells like elderflower,” Chin explained and held it out to Danno.

“What?” Danno asked. Surprised by the shock in Danno’s voice Steve looked up and saw Danno also smelling the content of the bottle before he turned around and came with three angry strides to them.

“Did you brew him a time potion?”

The woman sobbed even harder and her body language all but screamed that she wanted the ground to swallow her. But Danno was undeterred.

“Tell me, did you or did you not brew him a time potion?” He shoved the bottle right under her nose and she looked up with fearful eyes.

“I did, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Agitated Danno turned, first left, then right, as if he didn’t know where to go. Finally he faced the woman again.

“Where did he want to go?” The woman opened her mouth but no sound came out. “Where?” Danno all but screamed at her.

“He had … he had a list,” she whispered and as Danno started another round of swearing she added whispering, “please, he said he would kill my daughter. What should I do?”

Danno ignored her question.

“Do you have a copy of this list?”

She shook her head.

“No, he kept it close. He never let me look at it.”

“Fuck.”

“Danno?”

Carefully Steve approached his partner.

“Care to tell us what has happened?”

Steve could see the effort as Danno tried to calm himself and then turned to Steve.

“Wo Fat right now travels through time,” he stated with forced calmness.

A bunch of questions appeared on Steve’s tongue – ‘Are you sure?’ ‘How do you know?’ – but something in Danno’s eyes stopped him from voicing them.

“And that means?”

“Well, I assume he doesn’t follow the Alexandria protocol for time travel, so that’s bad news. Especially for you.”

“For me?”

“Didn’t you hear him? He said ‘Goodbye, Steve McGarrett’. Sounds like a threat to me.”

As if to confirm Danno’s words suddenly Steve felt a pain as if someone had rammed a glowing sword through his heart. Everything went black and when he came back to himself, he was on the floor and Danno was looking at him with a worried expression in his eyes.

“It started. We don’t have much time.”

“We don’t have much time for what?” Steve asked confused and admittedly through a lot of pain.

“For once in your life, please listen to me.” When Steve wanted to ask, Danno simply asked. “Please, Steve.”

“Okay,” Steve nodded.

“I can send you back to chase Wo Fat …”

“You?”

“Yes, I. But there are limits to what I can do on such a short notice. I think I know which dates Wo Fat has on his list,” he smiled at Steve sadly. “But I don’t know in which order he will travel to those points, so I’m not going to risk anything. When I send you back, I will work as your anchor.”

“What does that mean?”

“You know that I’m time sensitive.”

“Yes.”

“I’m time sensitive because I’m immortal. As far as I know one of the last few hundreds. We are dying out.” His smile was melanchonical. “But this means, I can send you back in time along my lifeline. From there you’ll have to find Wo Fat.”

“How?”

“When someone comes into the timeline, there is a disruption. I can feel it, so I can tell you where he will be.”

“You …” Whatever Steve wanted to say was interrupted by another wave of pain. He was almost thankful that he was already on the ground. When he opened his eyes again, he found that he was leaning against Danno’s chest. He wondered if Danno always looked this worried when looking at him.

“Okay, you need to go before it is too late. Just remember one thing: You can’t change the course of time. Whatever happens you have to let time and destiny take their course.”

“Okay,” Steve answered weakly.

“Promise me,” Danno ordered him.

“I promise.”

“Okay, so be it.”

With a deep breath Danno lifted Steve from his chest and pulled out the chain from around his neck. Steve had seen it often enough, always wondered if it had any meaning, but anytime they had come close to the topic, Danno had distracted him. Danno slid the chain over Steve’s had and then started murmuring.

“My time is your time and your time is my time. You shall live along my time and I will do along yours. Wherever it may take you.”

Danno opened his eyes and looked at Steve. He held up one of his hands, it was glowing. And when Danno held it out to him, Steve just took it. The light in Danno’s hand took over to his and Steve watched astonished as the light took over his arm, his chest, his legs until his whole body was glowing. He just felt a strange warmth in his chest.

“Iter transtemporalis.”

Danno let go of his hand and pushed against his chest. The world around Steve disappeared and he was pulled into a grey mist.

 


	2. San Francisco - 1917

 

Waking up was an unpleasant experience, reminding Steve of the seldom times of his youth when he tried his hand on drugs. It was as if his brain took the long way to reboot and when the fog in his head slowly cleared, he unfortunately became also aware of his body which ached everywhere. One reason for it was probably the hard floor on which he was lying, but if he’d take a guess, he’d say that he had fallen on it from several feet above. It was probably not a good sign that he recognized that kind of pain.

He began slowly to move and pick himself up when a sharp stab in the back stopped him. It was one of those situations when the military training came in handy, because he was up in an instant and got hold of the stick poking him. Immediately he moved into an attack mode and only when he was a few inches in front of his attacker’s face, he stopped. It was Danny.

“Danny!” Steve exclaimed, lowering the stick to the ground. “Thank god!”

The Danny in front of him scowled.

“Of course, it’s you again.”

“Yes, it’s me,” Steve confirmed carefully. He wondered if there was any kind of etiquette regarding time travel and meeting apparently immortal friends. Maybe he should have asked Danno at some point, although it seemed like one of those topics which could easily start one of Danno’s rants. The thought made him smile.

“Oh, good, you’re a lunatic.” Danny threw his hands in the air.

“I’m not. I’m just …”

“You are searching for a murderer, I know,” Danny interrupted him.

“Yes, Wo Fat,” Steve confirmed relieved. “Do you know where he is?”

“Do I know where he is? What am I? A walking map?”

“You  said, you’d feel when somebody travels in time. And that you could tell me the location.”

“First of all, yes, I can feel it even if I don’t want to because it is a horrible feeling. It makes me want to throw up. So every time you and your friend jump through time, I fear for the content of my stomach. And second, yes, I can feel to some extent where he landed, but first of all this is not the damn ocean where I know the position of most ships and the possibilities are limited. This is San Francisco and even if I know that he ended up somewhere here, the city is huge and he can move around.”

“The ocean?” Steve asked.

 “What? Did you think that you’d jump through times chronologically? Don’t you know nothing about time travel?”

“I don’t know much. We were kind of in a hurry.”

“Brilliant,” Danny sighed. “You really live to make my life complicated.”

“Usually you don’t mind.”

“I bet I do, you just don’t listen. I know my type.”

Steve’s eyebrows rose at that. But before he could follow that thought, Danny already turned around.

“First, you need new clothes. Second, you get a lesson in time travel.”

 

* * *

 

It was 1917 which just seemed unreal. But every step he took in his new clothes and in the old parts of town proved that it was true. He was walking in San Francisco sixty years before his birth. He could still see the damages from the great earth quake in 1906 and the efforts to rebuild the city. And he knew that in a few months the US would join the war in Europe. Steve would be tempted to give Danny a heads-up, if it weren’t for the fact that Danny absolutely insisted on not changing the turn of time. Apparently time magicians had their own version of the Hippocratic Oath. He could live with that, his only goal was to finally catch Wo Fat.

At least in this regard, this version of Danny had been helpful. They had visited the area where Danny had sensed Wo Fat’s landing, a field just outside San Francisco. Not surprisingly they hadn’t found him, but Steve hoped that Wo Fat’s landing had been as unpleasant as his own. He stared at the indent on the ground and then followed the trace with his eyes. It led straight back to the city.

“This is not going to be easy,” Danny commented.

“No, probably not,” Steve agreed.

“Any idea what he wants here at this time?”

“I’m not sure,” Steve admitted, “you said that he threatened me. He wants to kill me.”

“Seems a bit complicated to kill you here when he could easily kill you in your time. Why go through all this effort? What happened before I sent you back?”

“He drank some potion and disappeared,” Steve shrugged. “Oh, and then suddenly I was in a lot of pain and Danno … I mean you … I mean future you … was worried.”

Danny sighed. “Looks to me as if he wants to prevent your birth by killing your ancestors. So, how much do you know about your family history?”

Steve hesitated at that. He knew not much about his mother’s side of the family, but he had learned some things about his father’s side when he had started clearing out his house.

“I think my great-grandmother came to Hawaii from San Francisco. Her husband had died and she had some troubles at home, so she decided to go as far away from home as she could and to start anew.”

“And do you have a name?”

“Marianne McGarrett.”

“So, let’s go to the harbor and see if we find her.”

“The harbor?”

“If Wo Fat is clever, he will be hiding in the Chinese quarters of San Francisco where we will never find him. So let’s find his potential target.”

“And use her as a bait?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

 

* * *

 

The harbor was nothing like Steve remembered from his short visit years ago (or decades later he mentally corrected himself). No neat rows of containers and large cargo vessels as far as one could see, no military section with soldiers guarding the U-boats. Instead it was noisy and messy and full of people. And the smell – Steve couldn’t remember ever smelling something so awful and he spent a lot of time on ships. He needed all his training to keep himself from vomiting. When Danny gave him a small tin, he looked at him questioningly.

“Against the smell,” Danny shrugged. “For some reason harbors always smell like this.”

“Not where I come from,” Steve protested.

“Well, something to look forward to.”

They reached the office of the harbor registration and learned that the only ship heading to Hawaii was leaving the next morning. Unfortunately that was where their luck ended, one of the ship’s officers denied that any passengers with the name McGarrett were booked on his ship.

 

* * *

 

They ended up in one of the houses near the harbor that offered sleeping places to travelers. It was the least crowded of those they had searched, but that was obviously due to its bad condition. It looked as if one heavy breeze would knock it over. Steve tried to remember if he knew of any other earthquakes at this time, but since he came up empty he decided to trust the building at least for the night.

“Maybe your great-grandmother isn’t traveling from San Francisco? Or not now?”

“I’m sure they were travelling from San Francisco. And the time is right as well. And why would Wo Fat jump here if it weren’t for them.”

Danny acknowledged Steve’s argument with a nod.

“So a fake name or she hasn’t gotten her ticket yet. We have to watch until the ship leaves.”

“Looks like it. Until then I could drink something.”

“I guess you are expecting me to pay, since I doubt you have any money with you.” Danny asked sardonically.

“I have money with me, but it’s from the future.”

“I bet that’s the best excuse I’ve ever heard from you.”

Steve couldn’t help but grin at the banter that sounded so much like ‘his’ Danno. And he could even see the laugh lines around Danny’s eyes, recognizing the amusement in the other man, even as he got up.

Steve’s gaze followed as Danny made his way easily through the tables and the crowd. When he realized that he was staring at his ass, he swiftly turned his eyes away, instead starting to look mindlessly over the crowd.

What was wrong with him? Since when did he notice Danny’s ass?

He shook his head to get any thoughts about Danny’s anatomy out of his head, but it took an indignant ‘Stop’ from a table nearby to get him to focus again.

Steve watched the couple at the table. A woman in her late twenties, dressed very simple, her dark hair tied up in a knot and only a few curls framing her face. For some reason she looked familiar, but it was her second ‘Stop’ that explained it. She looked like his sister when she was barely keeping her temper in check.

The man beside her ignored her obvious protests and was leaning in too close, especially for such a public place – and of course the time.

“I said I’m not interested.”

“Your belly says something different.”

From his position Steve couldn’t see what happened, but it was enough to recognize that the guy’s hand had wandered under the table. The commotion had caught the attention of the surrounding tables but it was obvious that none of those patrons were willing to help. So when the pleading look of the woman met Steve’s eyes, he was very quick to stand up and walk the short distance to the other table.

“Let her go.”

He didn’t raise his voice, but he knew how to give an order in a hostile environment. The man almost jumped out of his skin, but apparently didn’t want to give up.

“I found her first.”

“I said let her go,” Steve repeated, now leaning menacingly over the table.

“Listen this is just a whore who spreads her leg …”

Whatever the man had wanted to say was shut up by Steve’s fist. He flew backwards and ended up on the floor. Steve jumped over the table after him to haul him upwards.

“Don’t ever insult a woman like that again,” he threatened, before he dragged him across the room to throw him out on the street. When he turned around, he saw that everybody in the room was staring at him. Some of the men had started to rise from their seats and Steve quickly calculated his chances of taking them all out. Most of them had beverages in front of them that he could use. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Danny making his way to his side, but it was the woman that surprised him. She almost ran through the room, shouting “Honey, I was so worried” and threw herself in his arms.

Instinctively he caught her and pressed her against his body while keeping an eye on the crowd. “Play along,” she whispered in his ears, before he could hear her sobbing. “Oh, honey, they told me you had died. What should I have done without you, especially now?”

A glare from Danny told him that he was expected to play his role. Dutifully he murmured something along the lines “everything is going to be fine. Now I’m here for you and the baby.” Judging from the way Danny rolled his eyes, he probably wasn’t very convincing, but it still seemed to do the trick, the crowd settled down and as they made their way back to their table, Danny with a detour to retrieve their beers from the bar, almost everybody ignored them and minded their own businesses.

Steve gathered the woman’s belongings from her table, before he sat down next to her.

“Are you alright, madam?” He asked.

“Yes. Thank you,” she sighed.

“Was that …?” Steve stopped, realizing that there was no polite way to ask about the relationship between her and the guy. But she seemed to understand him anyway, since she just smiled sadly and shook her head.

“No, the baby’s father is actually a man from my hometown. I was foolish enough to believe his promises until the day I heard of his engagement. Then I knew I had to leave.”

“And what are you going to do now?” Danny had come back with their beer and a steaming mug that smelled of herbs.

“I’m going to Hawaii and start something new.”

Steve and Danny shared a look at that pronouncement.

“That is a long way, especially if you are travelling alone and pregnant,” Steve stated carefully.

She sighed. “I know. I wanted to pretend to be a widow, but I only have one black garment and I didn’t want to soil it in the harbor. I thought I would be safe in a public space.”

She was playing nervously with her fingers and this also reminded Steve of his sister. He looked more closely at her, tried to objectively evaluate her. It seemed to him as if there might be a family resemblance but that could be wishful thinking.

“So, since we are apparently married, I think it’s time to introduce myself. My name is Steven McGarrett and that is Daniel Williams.”

She looked at him with a thankful smile. “I’m Marianne. Marianne Farlane.”

Steve’s heart started beating faster. If he remembered it right, that had been the maiden name of his great-grandmother.

“Would you allow us to keep you company until the ship departs?”

She looked at him with surprise and suspicion.

“Why?”

“I think it would be safer that way.”

He was not surprised to see her getting defensive: “I can keep myself safe.”

Steve bit his tongue not to mention the incident earlier, but from her blush he could see that she guessed his thoughts.

“What do you want in return?”

Clearly torn between suspicion and the realization, that she might need help.

“Nothing,” Danny assured her.

“Nothing?” She asked incredulously.

“Nothing,” Steve confirmed.

And Danny nodded. “It would be an honor.”

 


	3. Stag night - early 2000s

The second time around waking up from a time jump was as unpleasant as the first one. He still fought against the fog in his brain and the ache in his limbs. The experience didn’t get better when he realized that he was lying in a puddle in some back alley and the water had started to drench his clothes. Judging from the smell and the noise, he was also lying behind a bar. Slowly he sat up, fighting the dizziness, when he heard footsteps approaching. He tried to get up, but when he recognized the man, he gave up for the moment. 

“Jesus, Steve, what happened to you?” Danny asked exasperated. “You look like a drowned cat.” 

Steve let his gaze slowly wander over Danny’s appearance. He had no illusions how he looked with an outdated outfit speckled with dubious stains. Danny however looked the complete opposite, as conservative and mainland as Steve remembered him from their first meeting, but still gorgeous. Steve knew his partner good enough to recognize that this was Danny’s version of a party outfit. 

“What time is it? Where am I?” He managed to ask. The surrounding buildings didn’t give him much of a clue and the garbage cans looked as if they had seen better times. 

“My stag night,” Danny answered shortly. 

Oh, damn. He had never thought about how his time jumping might affect Danny’s life. On the other hand he was still pretty new to time travel. He probably shouldn’t have skipped all the time travel briefings. 

“I’m sorry,” Steve whispered but Danny waved his concerns away. “It’s not your fault.” 

“Wait! This is your stag night? Before Rachel?” 

“Yes,” Danny confirmed. 

So the early 2000s. If Wo Fat’s goal had been to prevent his birth, he was a few years too late. So why now? Maybe this time he wasn’t the goal, but Danny? He looked at his partner closely, try to scan for any kind of discomfort or danger. Danny didn’t seem stressed at all, but … 

“You don’t look very happy,” Steve blurted out. 

“I didn’t expect you to turn up tonight.” 

Ouch, that hurt. Intellectually Steve knew that this was way before them, way before they became friends, but it still hurt to be dismissed like that. He wanted to apologize again, but Danny hadn’t wanted his apology the first time, so he tried to get back to the reason why he was here in the first place. 

“Where are we?” 

“The BarKing Cat,” Danny explained. 

“Fuck!” Steve was shocked. 

“Yep,” Danny confirmed. “You are currently in the bar celebrating something.” 

“Alex’ promotion,” Steve mumbled. “Shit, what do I do now?” 

He felt Danny’s gaze on him and looked up. 

“I know someone.” 

“You know someone?” Steve repeated. 

“Yes, come with me.” 

Steve stood up, but was a bit miffed at the repeat of the last time jump. He trusted Danno implicitly, and he wanted to trust this Danny as well, but they didn’t know each other. This was Danny in his Rachel-days, before Gracie; Steve only knew Danno post-Rachel, and it wasn’t the same. He missed his partner. 

“What about Wo Fat?” Steve asked. 

Danny only smiled fleetingly. 

“What do you remember about that night?” 

“Not much,” Steve admitted. It had been one of those very seldom occasions when he had gotten roaring drunk and only glimpses of that evening had remained in his memory. 

“I thought so.” Danny smiled. “Do you remember any fights?” 

Steve shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.” 

“Do you remember when you left the bar?” 

“I think they threw us out in the morning.” 

Danny waved his hand in the ultimate sign of ‘there you have it’ and started walking. 

“What about your stag night?” Steve asked. 

“Would you say that we are friends where we are coming from?” 

“Yes,” Steve said with conviction. 

“Well then, I’m good. I just tell the others that you are an old friend and that I had to pick you up.” 

“Really?” Steve replied doubtful. “And they would believe this why?” 

“I may have mentioned you from time to time.” 

Now what did that mean?

 

* * *

 

“So you are Steve?” The woman in front of him asked with a glint in her eye. Apparently Danny had really mentioned him to his friends. Danny had introduced her as Cynthia, a magical healer who also worked for the police. They were currently in a little studio that matched every cliché old children’s books perpetuated about healing witches. 

“Yes,” he confirmed bewildered. “Why?” 

“Oh, I’m always interested in time travelers that are anchored by time lords,” she replied easily, her eyes dancing with amusement. 

“Cynthia,” Danny hissed from the other side of the room. Undeterred Cynthia continued. 

“It’s always interesting to see their choices, especially when they always rant against …” 

“Cynthia!” This time it was a clear order. Steve recognized the voice immediately, Danny used it against him, too. It made him stop doing whatever he just did. 

“Spoilsport,” Cynthia pouted, but nevertheless changed the topic. But Steve wondered what she had been about to say. He looked at Danny, but he avoided his gaze. So he made a mental note to ask Danno later, after his return. He turned his attention back to Cynthia who was measuring herbs on a brazen scale. 

“So what’s your magical sign?” 

“Water,” Steve answered. 

“Interesting,” she looked him in the eyes. And he could see that the gleam in her eye was back. But this time she made no effort to elaborate her thoughts, only pointed to the wardrobe lining the walls. 

“Choose some clothing, I’ll have the potion ready in a few minutes.” 

“Really? A potion?” 

“Safest way to change your look temporarily,” she explained. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt.” She waved him away. “Now go.” 

In the end, Steve chose a simple jeans and a shirt. It didn’t look too much different from his usual style and it had the advantage that it was neither wet nor stained. Cynthia spared him barely a look, only waved him in the back of her studio where he changed. When he came back, Cynthia’s face was hidden behind a cloud of fumes. He stepped nearer and Cynthia looked up with a critical eye. 

“Not bad,” she commented, before she held out a bowl with water, “now I need you to imprint your magic.” 

Steve looked at the bowl in his hand. 

“How?” 

“Just move the water for me. If you can, put it in my pot. Or just move it around in the bowl.” Steve concentrated on his magic, let it flicker in his fingertips and carefully swept the water out of the bowl. It had been awhile since he had done something so delicate with his magic. In his line of work, he usually needed a more forceful approach. He directed the water through the room to the pot and let it down. 

“Excellent,” Cynthia praised him, “just five more minutes and the potion is ready.”

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t the first time that Steve had changed his appearance with a potion, but the feeling of unrealness was always the same. At least Cynthia seemed to have enough experience, because he didn’t notice any of the usual side effects like nausea or a dizzy spell that the Navy potions always had. Instead he sat in the bar with a strange gun in the back of his jeans, nursing a beer at Danny’s stag night and watching the table in the corner where his younger self was drinking with his colleagues. 

It was strange watching his younger self drinking with his friends. It seemed a lifetime away that he had been so carefree. Maybe it was. At least it seemed as if Danny had been right. They had a lot of time until an attack would happen. 

As if on command a stranger entered the bar and for some reason all of his Steve’s instincts went rogue. The man seemed pleasant enough, almost ordinary in every way, but Steve noticed the looks he sent around the bar until he finally chose a table in one of the corners that gave him an excellent view over the room, but especially on his younger self’s table. 

Steve waited until the stranger had his beer in front of him before he tried to send out his magical sensors. It was a bit tricky, since he’d get readings on anyone in the bar who had some kind of beverage in front of him, but it was worth a shot. The Seals had him trained to pick out his target out of the mass of impressions he’d receive. 

He saw Danny’s frown at his first careful attempt, but he ignored his disapproval. Finally he had enough magic pulsing that he felt the magic of others. He could sense Danny, but Danny was a known entity, so he dismissed him easily. Most of the other patrons of the bar only had low level magic, nothing for him to worry about. His younger self was also easily ignored, as were Freddie and Alex. Even after all those years, he still remembered their readings. The two other friends who were with his younger self were low level, so they sank into the easily ignored buzz of the other low-level magicians. That left only one magic source. The stranger. Carefully he concentrated on him. Fire magic and, if he wasn’t mistaken, some identity potion, although it didn’t feel as sophisticated as his own. Apparently the stranger had to feed his own magic into the spell to keep it stable.

For a moment he concentrated on lifting the spell just to see a tiny glimpse of the magic behind. Steve wasn’t actually surprised when he recognized Wo Fat. Immediately he dropped the magic, watching the other if he had noticed anything. But he was just nursing his beer and studying his surroundings. Out of the corner of his eyes, Steve saw Danny suddenly tensing. And a moment later, he felt a probing against his own spell, which was eerily familiar. He realized it was his younger self that was now scanning the room for magic. Steve shortly wondered if his own potion would remain intact, but it was obvious that his younger self also stumbled over Wo Fat’s bad potion. 

Steve saw himself getting up, Freddie at his side. 

“Damn,” Danny cursed next to him and also started to rise. 

“What is it?” Matt asked and started looking around. 

Steve kept his eye on Wo Fat, noting the tension in the other man. 

“Trouble,” Danny explained. 

“What should we do?” 

“Steve and I will take this outside. You keep everybody in here,” Danny ordered, already on his way to intercept Steve’s younger counterpart from going against Wo Fat. Steve was shortly behind him. 

“But how?” Matt cried after them. 

“Be creative!” Danny called, his attention focused on the scene in front of them. His younger self and Freddie had already reached Wo Fat and addressed him. Steve easily recognized Freddie’s protective stance behind himself. 

“Who are you?” His younger self called out. (Steve wondered if he always sounded so imperious.) 

Wo Fat raised an eyebrow. “Why do you want to know this?” 

“Because you use magic to hide your appearance.” 

(“Good to know you are bad at questioning suspects, I have to remember that,” murmured Danny next to him. 

“I do okay,” Steve defended himself.) 

Wo Fat smiled menacingly. 

“Which you can only know when you used a magical screening. Aren’t there laws against this?” 

“Somebody was scanning me first.” 

“Well, it wasn’t me,” Wo Fat stated simply. 

“But you are the one that has something to hide,” Steve retorted. 

“What makes you so sure, McGarrett? Maybe I just want to cover some scars.” 

“The fact that you know my name.” His younger self took a step closer to the table and in an instant Danny was between him and Wo Fat. 

“Why don’t we take this outside?” He suggested, tugging his badge out of his jacket. 

“Ah, Detective Williams, you again,” Wo Fat snarled. 

“Yes, it’s me, not so nice to see you again. Let’s take this outside.” Danny tried to grab Wo Fat’s arm. 

“I don’t think so.” Wo Fat evaded Danny’s touch and pulled a gun out of his pocket. “Move, Detective.” 

In an instant Steve had drawn his gun. 

“Drop the weapon!” 

“Seems, there is a stalemate. Let’s see how we can change that.” 

Without a warning Wo Fat shot Danny in the stomach. For a moment time seems to stand still. Steve stared disbelieving at Danny and the red stain appearing on his stomach. Then he turned to Wo Fat who had turned to his younger self. He yelled at Freddie “Get him out” before he jumped over the table to Wo Fat, but before he could get his hands on him, the man disappeared. He ended on the floor, frantically looking around him, but Danny was gone. 

Cursing he turned around to get back to Danny, trying to stop the bleeding with his hands. 

“Wo Fat,” Danny murmured. 

“No, Danny, no,” Steve replied frantically. 

“Yes, you’ll be gone soon.” 

Danny got weaker and weaker, Steve could barely make out his words. 

“Danny, no.” 

And Steve felt the pull of the time stream as he was thrown in another time.

 


	4. Washington - 1950s

This time Steve never really lost consciousness, apparently the shock of seeing Danny getting shot was enough adrenaline to keep him alert. But it didn’t make the time travel any more pleasant, when he finally landed in a semi-dark cellar, it still hurt and he had to fight against throwing up. He stood there, holding himself against a wall and tried to breathe through the nausea, and through the memories. God, what had happened to Danny. Did he survive?

As soon as this thought appeared a wave of memories broke through. He could remember that night and the memories of being thrown out of a bar, barely able to stand, were exchanged to one where he sat next to Danny’s bleeding body, giving CPR while Matt still tried to stop the bleeding. He remembered riding with the ambulance to the hospital and waiting, endless waiting. Steve could smell the typical mixture of antiseptic and disinfection and disease. He remembered washing his hands, the blood – Danny’s blood – a red stream on white porcelain.

And Steve barely held himself together, tried to fast forward his memories that were new to him, but on the other hand so familiar, as if he had them always with him and had only forgotten them for a short amount of time. His brain now replayed the doctor approaching and he felt a wave of relief even before his mind could replay what the doctor had said. Danny was alive. Danny had survived.

The relief made him dizzy and he turned around the lean against the wall, closing his eyes against the world and tried to make sense of this new memories. And slowly it came back to him. Another memory, another day. He had visited Danny in the hospital. Danny who had been so pale, but alive. And Danny had altered his memory. Another question to ask Danno after his return.

“There you are.”

Steve’s thoughts were interrupted by the object of his thoughts. Abruptly Steve opened his eyes and drank the sight in front of him in. Danny was very much alive and healthy and Steve stumbled forward simply to hug him. He needed the reassurance.

“Are you okay?” Danny asked. He had accepted the hug a bit reluctantly, but still patted him comfortingly on the back.

“You are alive,” was all the Steve could murmur.

“Yes?”

“Last time I saw you, you were shot,” Steve explained and slowly retreated. “I’m just glad that you are okay.”

“I’m immortal,” Danny explained bewildered.

“Believe me when I tell you that you looked really mortally wounded.”

“I’m alright.”

“Would you know if you had died in the future?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know, but seeing that you are still here, means that I still send you back in time, which means I must be alive to do that.”

“That’s how it works?”

“Yes, that’s how it works.” Danny shrugged. “Now, that we know that I’m still alive, would you come with me?”

“Where to?”

“Are you always this contrary?” Danny sighed.

“I’m not,” Steve replied offended.

“Believe me, you are. I sometimes think you just do this to annoy me.”

Steve had to admit that this wasn’t so far from the truth, but he didn’t believe that he’d done it consciously to all those past Dannys.

“So where are we going?” He was pretty proud of himself that he had progressed to full sentences.

“To your grandfather.”

“My grandfather?”

“Yes.”

“But how …?” Steve gestured wildly to demonstrate his confusion.

“I was expecting you.”

“Expecting me?”

“Of course. You keep turning up in my life. At some point I start expecting you constantly. So I kept track of your family,” Danny explained.

“Why?”

“Do you remember Pearl Harbor?”

“Pearl Harbor? What do you mean?”

“Okay, never mind, forget what I said,” Danny backtracked. “Let’s just say that I know that we will meet in my future again, so I started keeping track on your family so that we don’t have to look for them. The one time in San Francisco was bad enough and it was simply luck that we found her.” Danny looked at him as something occurred to him. “Have you been in San Francisco already?”

Steve smiled. “Yes, I have been.”

“Good,” Danny nodded relieved. “So let’s go to your mother’s family.”

“How do you know that it’s them we need to worry about?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve told you this at some point, but I can feel disruptions in the time line. I can feel them good enough to locate them and a time traveler is a pretty strong disruption. So when I felt one just a few miles from the home of your grandfather, I’m pretty sure that this is where we have to go.”

This time Steve had actually ended in Danny’s house. Which was also convenient because Danny’s preparedness not only included keeping track of Steve’s relatives, but also having spare clothes for him to wear. Steve was led into a bathroom and took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. He looked tired, and he also felt the exhaustion in his bones. But apparently now he didn’t have the time to rest, he needed to save his grandfather.

He washed his hands, the blood darkening the water a mirror of the new memory in his head. He splashed water in his face to get awake before he undressed and washed himself a bit more thoroughly. Danny had apparently a good eye for his size, the clothes fit him perfectly. When he came out of the bathroom, Danny also greeted him with a cup of black coffee that seemed fit to wake the dead. Steve noticed a thermo in Danny’s hand as they left the house to go to Danny’s car.

“You can sleep for a while, we have to drive for a bit.”

Steve thought about protesting, but decided against it. The Navy had thought him to catch on sleep when he could.

 

* * *

 

When Steve woke up, they were parked in a suburban street which looked like the commercial version of a good neighborhood. Perfect little family homes on each side with neatly trimmed grass in front of them as well as a garage and a family limousine. The only thing not fitting into this narrative was the rain drumming on their car’s roof. Whatever he had imagined about his family, this wasn’t it.

“Really, here?” Steve murmured, his voice still a bit hoarse.

Danny shot him a look and then wordlessly handed over a mug and the thermo.

“Yes, what did you expect?”

Steve took a large gulp of the coffee. It was too bitter and too hot, but it got rid of the last remains of sleep.

“I’m not sure,” he shrugged, “but not this.”

“Any particular reason?”

“My mom ended up with the CIA. I’m not sure how you come from this,” he gestured to the neat rows of houses, “to spy.”

“Or your mom is as contrary as you and that’s why she chose something that’s so different from the perfect homemaker dream.”

“Maybe.” It seemed the only logical explanation. “So what now? Surveillance?”

“Yes, surveillance and waiting,” Danny confirmed.

“I hate waiting,” Steve sighed.

“Why am I not surprised?” Steve could hear the smile in Danny’s voice.

“As if you were any better.”

“I have to tell you I’m excellent at waiting. When you are immortal, you have enough time to spare, so you don’t mind the actual waiting.”

“Really? That’s your argument? Because you are immortal you have no problem with waiting? That’s bullshit.”

“It’s not.”

“So all those times when you drove me nuts during a stakeout, you were actually good at waiting.”

“I probably did it for you.”

“So, it’s my fault.”

“Isn’t it always.”

And Steve smiled. It felt good to banter with Danny like this, even if it wasn’t the same. Even if he still felt tired, even if he could still see Danny bleeding out on a floor in bar in front of his inner eye.  

“Do you also have something to eat?” Steve asked to distract himself from his thoughts.

Danny looked at him questioningly, but handed over a sandwich. Steve took a bite and then gestured at the empty street in front of them.

“So how long do we have to wait?”

“Until either Wo Fat or your grandfather moves. He has to leave soon.”

Steve busied himself with his sandwich while they watched the street coming to life. It got lighter, but the rain was still heavy and they could see how some of the windows went alight. Just as Steve had finished the last of his sandwich, one door opened. A man waved back inside the house and then went to the car parked in front of the adjoining garage.

“That’s your grandfather,” Danny commented.

Steve tried to recognize anything about the man, but nothing seemed familiar. And from the distance it was futile to make out any facial details. They watched as his grandfather’s car left the garage and turned into the street. Danny started to follow it as it began moving away from them.

“Not so close,” Steve murmured.

“Relax, I know what I’m doing.”

“Really? Because you are far too close.”

“Do you want to drive?”

“Actually …”

“That wasn’t a suggestion.” Danny interrupted him.

“Fine,” Steve huffed. “But keep your distance.”

They followed the car in silence into a forest where the road had more curves and turns than before. In some places they lost sight of the car for some amounts of time, only to be surprised at its closeness on the few straight passages of the road. He felt Danny’s tension next to him and looked out for any sign of trouble.

“Danny!”

Steve just managed to hold himself at the dashboard when Danny stepped fully on the brakes. Danny barely avoided a crash with the burning car in front of them, stopping only a few feet away. Even before the car stood completely still, Steve was already jumping out and running towards the other car, but before he could reach it an explosion threw him back on the street.

He was disoriented for a moment, blinded by the sharp light of the fire, but then he caught movement behind the car. When he started to move towards it, a beam of fire reminding him too much of a flamethrower was directed in his direction and he had to throw himself out of its way. He could feel the heat on his skin as it burnt the spot where he had just been seconds before.

“Wo Fat,” Steve shouted to Danny and jumped up again to run to Wo Fat. Another beam of fire was aimed at him, but Steve used all his rage, all his adrenaline and send his magic out. He could feel it collecting the water from the puddles on the street and making its way to the flame. It wasn’t enough to stop the flame entirely, but it was enough to close some of the gap between him and Wo Fat.

“Save him,” he screamed at Danny, sending another wave at water at the car, while he jumped over the fire’s remains to Wo Fat. It took him only one more step to stand right in front of him and as Wo Fat tried to reach for his magic, Steve just punched him. Wo Fat blocked the second punch, but his movement opened his throat for Steve and he reached for it, could feel the muscles working beneath his hands. Wo Fat grabbed at his hands with desperation and Steve could feel the heat burning his skin. He had to loosen his grip for a second, the water that his magic had called a moment later cooling his arms, but this short moment was enough. For a moment, he and Wo Fat stared in each other’s eyes and then there was only air in front of him. Wo Fat had disappeared once again.

“No, no, no, no, no. I almost had him.”

Steve turned around, for a moment at loss what to do now. He caught Danny’s gaze, but even before Danny shook his head, he already knew what had happened. They hadn’t been able to safe his grandfather.


	5. Interlude - Glimpse in the future

Apparently adrenaline really was the key to staying conscious during time travel. It didn’t help regarding the landing, but this time he managed to anticipate it and ended up in a controlled fall on a beach. The immediate closeness to water felt refreshing, felt like home. And this feeling got even stronger when he realized that he was indeed … home. This was the beach behind his house, this was his backyard; he could see the top of his house from here. 

He wondered if this was it, if his time traveling was over. Maybe Wo Fat had only a certain amount of time jumps? God, he hoped that this was it. He had enough of falling out of time and meeting Danny again and again and it never was Danno, only a former version of him, a pale version of his partner. Steve didn’t like that he had to be cautious, he wanted to ask all his questions. Why had Danny stopped Cynthia? What had Danny meant with ‘type’? And what did it meant that he couldn’t save his grandfather? 

He was still alive, so the death of his grandfather didn’t have any consequences. But why? There were only two options – his grandmother had already been pregnant and Wo Fat had been too late. Or this man hadn’t been his grandfather. He wished he could ask Danny. 

Maybe he could. Shouldn’t Danny be around here somewhere? 

He stood up, but the movement made him aware of the burn wounds on his hands. It didn’t look as bad as it had felt initially. The skin on his hand was angrily red and showed some blisters, but it was nothing that he couldn’t heal with magic. Especially this close to water, this close to his home water. He didn’t even need to call it, just simply walked into the ocean and held his hands in. The saltwater burnt for a short moment until the magic took over.   

A few moments later he made his way up to the house. If this time travel worked as before, Danny had to be here somewhere. Entering his house through the kitchen, he immediately noticed some changes. A new paint job on the walls, a new coffee maker and a new fridge. 

So, he was not at home. At least not at the home he had hoped to find. 

Steve went further in his living room. The changes here were not as obvious, but before he could take a full stock, he was greeted by Danno. 

“Babe, there you are.” 

Danno walked down the stairs, a bandage to his head. 

“Danno, …,” Steve started, worried and unsure how to continue. 

“I know, I know, but I’m really feeling better now, it was just a little concussion, and apart from a tiny bit of nausea earlier I’m fine.” 

“Danno,” Steve started again, but by now Danno had reached him and looked at him critically.

“Are you alright?” Danno looked at him worriedly. 

“Yes, yes, everything is fine,” Steve tried to calm him. As fine as it could be regarding the fact that he apparently had ended up in the future. “Just a lot on my mind.” 

“If you are sure?” 

“Yes.” 

“Okay.” 

And with that Danno closed the distance between them; Steve could feel his body heat and then Danno’s hand on his neck pulling him down into a kiss. For a moment Steve was petrified, before his body simply reacted and he kissed Danno back. It felt like the most natural thing to respond to the movement of Danno’s lips, the lick across his upper lip, and Steve opened his mouth to let Danno’s tongue in. The taste was intoxicating and Steve thought that he would have kissed Danno a long time ago if this was how it felt. 

He was barely aware that something was wrong when he felt the pull of time.  One eternal moment he still had Danno in his arms and the next time he felt himself flying through time.


	6. Honolulu - 2010

This time the landing was soft and Steve was absolutely grateful for that. Although maybe he wouldn’t have noticed it anyway, since he was still dwelling on the kiss. But Steve forced the thought of the kiss in the back of his mind and opened his eyes to get an idea where he was right now. It took more effort than he thought it would.

It was dark and it took a few moments until the shapes around him became real objects. It took him a moment more to realize that he knew this place, that he recognized it. It was Danny’s first apartment, back when they had first met. And he was lying on Danny’s sofa bed. Steve turned his head and stared in Danny’s sleeping face. It was all he could do for the moment, looking at the familiar face, taking in the lines around Danny’s eyes, recalling the softness of his mouth. And his ridiculous bed head. Steve smiled. Everything seemed so normal. He wondered if he should wake Danny, but on the other hand, he felt exhausted. And he wanted to take the chance to think about what happened.

The kiss.

Danno had kissed him.

Danno had really kissed him.

Definitely not in a platonic way, but in a ‘welcome home, lover’-way. Not something tentative but assured as if he had known that this would be welcome. As if it happened every day. Steve hadn’t known that it was something he’d want every day.

Steve tried to recall every detail of the kiss – the pressure of Danno’s lips, the way his tongue had slid into his mouth, the path his hands had taken – first trailing down over his shoulders and chest, before they had traveled back up until they found their resting place in his hair. It had been a surprise, a pleasant one, more than pleasant actually, but nevertheless something he had never expected except for lonely nights when he had woken up from a nightmare and wanted nothing more than to hear Danno’s voice or preferably have him near him. Something he barely admitted to himself, and definitely not out loud.

They had been in his own house, the one that he had inherited from his father. But when, when had it happened? He really wished time travel came with some kind of announcement so that it didn’t leave him this questioning. It must have been from his future, something that had never occurred to him, that a jump there would be a possibility. No one had ever mentioned the possibility to him. And it didn’t really make sense if Wo Fat’s aim was to kill him. Why would he jump in the future? Did the near-capture spook him? And if so, then this hadn’t been a controlled time jump. So there was no chance of guessing how far in the future they had jumped.

Well, it was probably useless to speculate about it now.  The only one to give him the right answer was Wo Fat and somehow Steve was convinced that he wouldn’t be that forthcoming with information. So everything was just guess work. He hadn’t had enough time to study Danno’s face for any changes, but the house didn’t seem too strange, too changed. So hopefully something in his near future. That would be good.

Steve looked at the man next to him, wondered what it would feel like to wake every morning next to him, being allowed to touch every time. He wondered what time it was. He wondered if they had already met in this time, wondered how Danny would hide him this time. Or maybe they would meet soon.

He stared at Danno until he felt his lids growing heavier and heavier and his eyes burning with fatigue. With one last look he gave in to the temptation, closed his eyes and drifted to sleep to the sound of Danny’s soft breaths.

 

* * *

 

When Steve woke up, the sun was already up, but if he were to guess he’d say that it was still morning. He was alone in bed, but when he tried to turn around he couldn’t move his arms. A quick look confirmed what he had already known. He was chained to the bed frame.

“What the …”

Steve tore at the cuffs, but it was useless. He only managed to irritate his skin; the cuff was safely secured by the iron frame. Whatever one could say about the sofa bed, its frame was definitely sturdy.

For the moment he gave up on the cuffs and tried to look around the room for some tools that might help him to escape. That was when he noticed Danny standing in the opposite corner of his one-room-apartment.

“Danny,” he called him. But Danny just put the coffee mug he was holding back on the counter.

“Don’t,” he advised. Which was of course Steve’s signal to try his utmost and starting tearing at his arm again.  The abrasions he felt just fueled him even more. Danny looked at him for a few moments and then came back to the bed, but staying carefully out of reach.

“You know that you can’t get free, so for once in your life give up.” Danny pleaded with him.

Steve didn’t feel like giving up. “Why are you doing this? Let me free!” He demanded.

“I can’t,” Danny simply said.

“What do you mean ‘you can’t’? Why can’t you?”

Danny just crouched next to the bed and stared at Steve, his expression a strange mixture of grief and determination.

“Have you ever been in the situation where you know that the thing you are about to do is the right thing and the absolute worst you could ever do?”

“Danny, what does this mean?” Steve asked helplessly.

“That I have no other choice at the moment.” Danny murmured before he stood up again and turned around. Steve followed Danny’s movement in the small apartment, too familiar with Danny’s routine not to notice that he was about to leave.

“So you are just leaving me here or …”

Steve could hear the insecurity in his own voice.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. And then I will explain everything,” Danny tried to assure him. Steve didn’t feel very much assured.

“I thought you were my friend.”

“I am. Well, I will be. That’s why I’m doing this.” Danny sighed, before he grabbed his wallet and his keys. “Do you want me to leave on the TV?”

“No!” Steve spat.

“Okay then. See you later.” With one last mournful look Danny closed the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

When Danny returned Steve had lost the feeling in his hands. He had long regretted not having the TV for entertainment, at least it would have given him an indication how much time had passed. Since most of Danny’s windows faced north, he hadn’t even been able to properly track the sun, so he wasn’t sure whether Danny was just on break or finished with today’s HPD shift. It felt like a whole day, but that probably meant nothing.

“Oh great, you are back,” he greeted Danny. His anger was long gone, drowned in boredom, the only thing he had left was sarcasm.

“Yes, I am.” Danny confirmed needlessly.

Steve watched Danny taking his gun and locking it in the small safe in one of the kitchen counters. Then he put his wallet and keys on the kitchen counter before he opened one of the drawers. For a moment he hesitated, clenching his fist, but then he took the key out and made his way over to the bed.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t kill me immediately.”

“Give me one good reason!” Steve countered.

Danny moved forward, then stopped himself, before he moved all the way. He leaned over Steve and opened the handcuffs with the key, catching Steve’s arms before they could fall down. Danny then started massaging his wrists, carefully avoiding any sore spots. Steve stared at him, but Danny never looked him in the eyes, kept his concentration on Steve’s hands. It took awhile, but slowly Steve started feeling them again. He withdrew them from Danny’s hold and Danny stood straight, for a moment his hands hung useless in the air before he put them in his pockets.

“So are you going to tell me what this was all about?” Steve asked.

A strange expression passed over Danny’s face but it was over too soon for Steve to interpret it.

“You better sit,” Danny advised and tried to assist him, holding out his hands to help. But Steve pushed Danny’s hand away. Out of spite he deliberately ignored Danny’s words and stubbornly stood up. It didn’t feel as satisfying as he would have hoped when Danny backed away. So Steve took his time to pointedly shake his arms, lifting them and trying to get the bloodstream back to work, clenching his fists. When he deemed his range of movement good enough, he confronted Danny.

“So, why did you chain me to your bed?”

(For a short moment Steve’s mind showed him a potential different situation for those words, but the resigned look on Danny’s face chased this idea away fast.)

“Do you know what day today is?” Danny asked carefully.

“How should I know that? It’s not like time jumping came with an exact calendar and a voice that announces the date.” ‘Although it might be useful’, he added mentally.

“Today is 20 September 2010.”

Danny looked at him expectantly, but Steve was too shocked to react.

 “The day of your father’s murder,” Danny added unnecessarily when the silence had grown so long that Steve couldn’t even hear the echo of Danny’s words. Instead he felt drowned by it, as if it was closing up his mouth and his nose and suffocating him.

It took him ages, eternities to regain the power of speech.

“You knew what was going to happen,” he stated, his voice suddenly rough.

“Yes,” Danny confirmed.

“And you did nothing to prevent it?”

It was an explosive question, Steve knew that. But for the moment, he kept a tight lid on his emotions, although he felt his body buzzing with the tension.

Danny looked him straight in the eyes. “No.”

That might have been the worst blow of it all.

“How could you?” Steve threw the accusation at Danny and Danny just stood stock still. Steve knew that he was also trying to keep his temper in check and it seemed that he succeeded because his voice was still carefully neutral.

“Remember what I told you? That you can’t change the timeline?”

Steve managed a sharp nod. It was not really a confirmation, but more of a ‘go on’.

“Saving your father would have changed the timeline. It would have changed every single aspect of your life. It would have changed my life. Whatever had happened after this day in your life and mine wouldn’t have been the same. Maybe we would have never met. Maybe you would have never needed to go back in time. So whose job would it had been to save your father then. You would have created a paradox. That’s why I did it.”

Danny’s explanation was now in the room and Steve wanted to scream against it, against the rationality of it. Danny wasn’t rational, Danny was pure emotion.

“For what it is worth, I’m sorry,” Danny added.

“He was my father.”

“I know,” Danny whispered.

“He was my father and you left him to die.”

“I know. And I know how much this must hurt you. But there was no other way. Don’t you think I had enough time to prepare for this day? There is no other possibility. There is nothing I could have done differently.”

“You could have saved my father. And you didn’t.” Steve looked at Danny as if he were seeing him for the first time. He turned away, looking at the light shining through the windows, not wanting to see Danny anymore. “I don’t think I can forgive you.”

“I know,” Danny whispered.

It was the last thing Steve heard before he disappeared again.


	7. Pearl Harbor - 1941

When Steve woke this time, he was still burning with anger. Anger and grieve and disappointment. He could have saved his father, could have ended everything. Instead he was still caught between time jumps with no idea when this would end. And with the feeling that his whole world was upstaged.

He felt the magic burning in him, felt his usually tight control slipping. Slipping until he could feel his magic reaching out to the next water source. It took him a moment to realize that it was something metallic but it was too late. The wave hit against one wall and he was caught in the spray. In the last moment he lifted his arm to defend himself against the bucket, and it fell down with a loud clatter.

Soon after he heard steps coming towards him hurriedly and he looked around the room to find something weaponizable. Unfortunately, he apparently was in the washhouse and apart from the bucket most things didn’t seem usable. The door opened and it was Danny who looked at him with a frown.

He heart clenched in his chest.

Danny the traitor.

Just seeing him enraged Steve again. On pure instinct he moved the water to his feet to Danny, putting all of his anger against it, so that it would hurt, but Danny held his hand against the water and it stopped, a fountain petrified between them.

“What happened?” Danny asked calmly.

Steve tried to move the water against Danny, but it stayed immovable where Danny had stopped it.

“Stop it,” Danny sighed. “Tell me, what happened.”

“I could have saved him,” Steve snarled, “and you prevented it.”

“Who would you have saved?”

“My father.”

“Your father who was murdered by Wo Fat’s people?” Danny inquired.

“Yes, I could have saved him. But you tied me to your bed.”

At that a shadow flew over Danny’s face, too fast for Steve to decipher it, before he sighed.

“You couldn’t have saved him,” Danny explained calmly.

“I could,” Steve retorted stubbornly.

“No, you couldn’t. It’s against the rules.”

“I don’t care what the rules say.”

“The rules say that past has to remain past. You can’t change anything that has happened.”

“What about Wo Fat? He is trying to change the past. I’m not seeing him fearing any consequences.”

“Really, that’s your argument?” Danny raised his eyebrows. “Others are doing it, so I can do it as well.”

Something inside Steve just snapped, he moved forward to lounge against Danny but was caught in a wave of cold water. Sputtering he asked Danny.

“What did you do?”

“Steve, I’ve lived with my abilities for a few hundred years, don’t you think I learned some tricks along the way?”

He turned around to leave.

“Let’s go, we need to save your family.”

For a moment Steve still stood there shivering with anger. It took all his control and his training to shove the anger down in a part of his soul where he would address it later. He grabbed one of the linens hanging from the door and dried his face before he followed Danny out of the house.

 

* * *

 

“Oh my god.”

Those were the first words Steve uttered since the washhouse. He had followed Danny to his car, accepted the change in clothing and had climbed in the car next to Danny, never asking where they were going. He waited silently while Danny bought them tickets to Hawaii, although he was busy taking everything in. The old-fashioned design, the lack of any electronic devices. But only when they finally sat in the waiting area and Steve grabbed a newspaper, he realized what day it was.

Two days before Pearl Harbor.

Danny must have interpreted his words correctly, because he immediately stood up.

“Don’t say anything,” he warned Steve before he pulled him away from the surrounding passengers.

Danny waited until they found an empty room.

“Tell me,” he demanded.

“What do you want me to tell?”

“Tell me what will happen! Tell me what has you so shocked.”

“Oh, what happened with ‘we can’t change anything’,” Steve replied.

From the deep sigh Steve could tell that Danny was at the end of his rope.

“Knowing doesn’t mean I will change anything,” Danny managed with forced calmness. Steve stared at him for long seconds until he relented.

“In two days Pearl Harbor happens.”

“What does that mean?”

“The Japanese will attack Pearl Harbor and the US will enter World War 2.”

“Damn,” Danny cursed.

“Do you know what that means?” Steve asked.

“It means that there is nothing we can do about it.”

“But do you have any idea …"

“Probably yes, but that’s what I was talking about. You can’t change the timeline. Pearl Harbor happened in your time, you know everything about it, don’t you?”

“My grandfather died at Pearl Harbor. Of course I know everything about it.”

“That means it has to happen.”

“But why?”

“Because if we change anything, if we warn anyone, it might change history. Which means it might change your personal history. It might even mean that you will never be born, which makes this conversation impossible. If you were supposed to change history, it wouldn’t have happened. You wouldn’t know about Pearl Harbor.”

“All those lives …”

Danny threw up his arms. “They were lost before your time.”

“How can you be so calm?”

“You remember the part where I am several hundred years old. I’ve seen people dying. I’ve seen wars. Do I like it? Of course not. But humanity has a pretty violent history.”

Steve stared helplessly at him.

“How can you stand it? How can you go on?”

“How did you go on, Steven?”

 

* * *

 

The flight to Hawaii was one of the longest of Steve’s life. Not only because they had several stop-overs, but because he knew what was about to happen. It was the worst feeling in the world. His tension must have shown to the other passengers, because he heard Danny explaining about his fear of flying. The flight attendant brought him a drink for his fear that he didn’t dare to touch. When they finally landed in Honolulu, it was late in the afternoon.

“Do you know where your grandparents lived?” Danny asked him after they picked up their rental car.

“Yes, why?”

“You said it yourself, your grandfather died during the attack. So chances are, Wo Fat is after your grandmother and probably your father. Was he already born?”

“Yes.”

 

* * *

 

The house looked just like Steve remembered from his father’s photo albums – only now he had the chance to fill the black and white pictures with color.

“This is it?” Danny asked.

“Yes.”

“What do you think Wo Fat is going to do?”

“How should I know?”

“You are the one who is chasing him through times, I thought you might know him. Will he wait until the night, will he play it safe or will he take some risks?”

Steve considered this, considered the layout of the area.

“He will probably wait until the fight begins, when everybody is too busy with surviving the attack instead of looking out for others.”

“The perfect distraction.”

“Yes,” Steve agreed solemnly.

“So we wait.”

Steve was too wired to stay back in the car.

“You wait, I take a look around, see if there are any weak spots.”

 

* * *

 

They waited until the sunset, before Steve finally made his way around the house. He tried to stay out of sight, not an easy feat with an active neighborhood around but he made it to the hill behind the house and looked down on it. The kitchen was in the back and he could see the whole family through the illuminated window. His father, just a small boy, his grandmother much younger than he had ever seen her. And his grandfather whom he only knew from stories and an engraved grave stone.

They looked happy and before he knew it, Steve was slowly walking towards the window. Wanting to see more, wanting to be closer. Soon his grandfather would leave for his final shift on the USS Missouri. It was Danny who caught his hand before it reached out to the window. It was Danny who led him away, carefully staying out of sight. He gently pushed him back in the seat and closed the door and Steve stared at the house.

“I’m sorry,” Danny said into the silence of the car.

“What for?”

“It’s always hard to see people dying. Especially when you can’t do anything about it.”

Steve just stared out of the window. Doing nothing went against everything he ever learnt, everything he ever thought of himself. He pressed his fingers in the car seat, trying to fix himself to it. It didn’t take long until the front door opened and his grandfather came out. The goodbye-kiss was almost too much, but a part of him was glad, was glad that their grandparents had a goodbye of love. His grandmother waited until his grandfather’s car disappeared around the corner and then she went back inside.

Now they really could do nothing more than wait. He didn’t realize that he was crying until Danny handed him a handkerchief. It was so typical old-fashioned and so Danny to carry around something like that. But maybe it wasn’t old-fashioned, maybe it was the time of handkerchiefs and maybe his grandmother had given his grandfather one of his own, something to hold on and he was completely unprepared for the sob that followed.

Steve didn’t know how long he had cried, but when he came back to himself he was leaning against Danny’s chest and he could feel the wetness of his shirt.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, suddenly feeling awkward.

“It’s the time travel, it makes everyone emotional.” Steve managed somehow a weak smile.

“How many time travelers have you met?”

“Only you, but I’ve heard stories. Everybody has a story about time travelers.”

“Do they now?”

“Yes.”

Steve lifted his head from Danny’s chest and leant back against his own seat. He wiped his eyes dry and stared at the house on the street, now completely in darkness.

“Will you tell me the date?” Danny asked in the silence of the car.

Steve looked at him, looked at Danny’s profile. His hair might be different, but he still looked the same. He could trace the lines that made out his face in his sleep. When Danny turned to look at him, he held his breath for a moment.

“Do you trust me?”

Before Steve had gone on this mad journey, he would have said ‘yes’ without any hesitation. But did he still trust him? He tore his gaze away and looked at the house of his grandparents. They had said good-bye with a kiss. Danny had greeted him with a kiss at some point in their future. It was time to make a decision.

“It’s just not fair,” he whispered.

“No, it isn’t,” Danny agreed. “But destiny seldom is. Sometimes there is nothing you can do.”

Steve let out the breath that he was holding.

“There is something we can do.”

“What do you mean?” Danny asked alarmed.

“No, not what you think. But at least this time we can save my father.”

Steve could feel Danny’s gaze on him.

“Yes. That we can do.”

“And Danny?”

“Yes?”

“The date is 20 December 2010."

“Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

“When will the attack start?”

“About 6.30 am.”

“We should sleep.”

“I can’t. I take the first watch.”

For a moment it looked as if Danny wanted to argue, but in the end he just pushed his seat back and closed his eyes. Steve had no intention of waking him before it was necessary.

 

* * *

 

The sun was slowly rising when Steve shook Danny awake. “Wo Fat is near,” he murmured.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I saw movement.”

“No magic?”

“No.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Carefully they climbed out of the car, Danny using his time reversal spell to close its doors without a sound. Steve directed Danny to the front door while he walked around the house to keep the back door in sight. He waited motionlessly, seeing the day awaken. The moment he heard the explosions, he felt adrenaline surging and as they had strategized Wo Fat chose this moment to make his way to the house. Steve just jumped in his way and the other man was visibly startled.

“Stop.”

It was right this moment when Steve really missed his gun, because Wo Fat drew his revolver.

“How do you want to stop me, Steve McGarrett?” The smile on Wo Fat’s face was vicious before he pulled the trigger. In a desperate attempt, he used his magic, thankful for the rain barrel nearby, but the water didn’t stop the bullet, only slowed it down. It gave Steve enough time to move out of its way, but he only partially succeeded. It went straight into his shoulder. When he went down he could see the water body hitting Wo Fat, forcing him to his knees. As if in slow motion he saw him moving the trigger finger, but he couldn’t hear a shot. It took him several seconds and Wo Fat’s other unsuccessful attempts to understand that the water had incapacitated the weapon.

This gave him enough energy to push through the hazy wand of pain and cross the small distance between him and Wo Fat. Behind him he heard Danny’s footsteps.

“Stop!” Danny shouted, but Wo Fat just laughed and disappeared.

“Steve, are you alright?”

Steve’s reply was already lost in time.


	8. Atlantic Sea - 1870s

When the fog in his brain faded, it took Steve a moment to understand where he was, because the ground beneath him was moving. He was lying on a wooden floor, slightly wet and the smell of salt water hit his nose. Apparently he was on a boat or a ship and that was when he could feel the movement of the ship, hear the waves breaking on its outside. Slowly he got used to the darkness around him, could make out shapes and cracks in the walls surrounding him. It seemed as if he was somewhere in the cargo room. So he only needed to find Danny and learn in which time period he had jumped. But first of all he had to take care of his shoulder.   
  
Tearing apart his shirt, he made a make-shift bandage against it. He could seal the wound, but he couldn’t heal it. There was no exit wound, so the bullet was still in his body. He would have to see a doctor when he returned to his time, he hoped that this would be soon, because a bullet in his body was never good news.   
  
Luckily it didn’t take long before he was found. Unfortunately it wasn’t Danny who was now standing in front of him with raised weapons. Steve regarded the three men in front of him, their uniforms, their weapons. He probably could take them out, but it might cause unnecessary alarm and bring others here. And he still wouldn’t know where Danny was.  
  
“Who are you?” The one with most of the brass on his shoulder asked.   
  
“I’m Steve McGarrett.” Until he would find Danny, he wouldn’t reveal anything more than necessary.  
  
“What are you doing here?”  
  
“I’m searching for someone.”  
  
“In the cargo room? Yes, of course,” he snorted.  
  
The man turned to his two companions. “Take him away.”  
  
Steve was brought on the deck of the ship. He had to blink against the bright sun and the sea. It took him a moment to get used to the light after the relative darkness of the cargo room.   
  
“Sir, we’ve found him in the cargo room. Says his name is Steve McGarrett,” he was introduced.  
  
“Was he now?” Another man with even more brass on his shoulders took his monocle out of his pocket to inspect Steve. “And what was he doing there?”  
  
“He said he was searching for someone.” Again the reaction was disbelief, but at least he now questioned Steve directly.  
  
“Who are you searching for?”  
  
“A murderer,” Steve stated calmly.  
  
“A murderer? On my ship?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
The man in front of him turned theatrically and asked the audience that had assembled soon after Steve had been led on deck.  
  
“Are we missing someone on this ship? Was anybody murdered?”  
  
Several voices shouted ‘No, sir’.  
  
Steve sighed. “As far as I know, nobody was murdered on this ship. But a murderer might be here.”  
  
“A likely story,” the man commented derisively. “You are a time traveler,” another man stated. This man had an aura of authority and Steve could see people making space for him.   
  
Since Steve still wore the outfit he had in Pearl Harbor, it was hard to deny it. So he simply nodded.   
  
“And your search for a murderer ends you here? On the ‘Empire’ which happened to have the biggest opium cargo in the history in its cargo rooms to deliver it to the Americans?”  
  
“I didn’t know where I would end up. I’m anchored to …” Steve stopped himself. “Is there a Daniel Williams on board? I think he might be able to explain.”  
  
“Mr. Williams please step forward.”  
  
And there he was. Danny in front of him. And he looked at him without the slightest recognition. Steve’s heart dropped.   
  
“Mr. Williams, do you know this man?”  
  
“No, I’ve never seen him in my whole life.”  
  
The man turned to Steve.   
  
“So why do you think Mr. Williams might help you?”  
  
“It’s hard to explain. Danny, please, you must know me.”  
  
“Don’t ever talk to me in this informal way again!” Danny ordered. “I have never seen you in my entire life.”  
  
“Danny,” Steve begged again, but Danny only took a step forward to slap him across the face.   
  
“Well, that was enlightening, Mr. McGarrett. You may go, Mr. Williams.”  
  
Steve’s gaze followed the retreating back of Danny, feeling heartbroken. It had never occurred to him that there may be a time, where Danny didn’t know him, wouldn’t help him, wouldn’t have his back. But he had not much time to dwell on his dark thoughts.   
  
“Here is what I think happened. You are indeed a time traveler. And since you are from the future you learned about this transport from official documents or other sources. And you thought that this might be an easy business opportunity for you. Jumping back in time to steal our opium to bring it back to your time and to sell it.” The man turned to the audience. “How does this sound so far?”  
  
Several people applauded and some called already for Steve’s death.  
  
“I didn’t come to steal you opium,” Steve’s denial was almost lost in the noise of the audience.   
  
“You are lying,” the man accused him. “But I believe something went wrong since you are still here. So I think we should take this opportunity to show the people in the future how we treat time travelers that are seeking for cheap business in our time and steal our hard earned profits.”  
  
“Your hard earned profits?” Steve snorted. If they wanted to use him as a warning, he might as well earn it. “What is with the poor souls that have to harvest the opium? Do they get their profits as well?”  
  
“Of course.” The man answered shortly before he turned to the first man who seemed to be the captain. “Sir, I propose we hang him tomorrow morning. That leaves us enough time to build everything. Meanwhile we should keep him under constant surveillance.”  
  
The captain seemed to consider the words of his adviser carefully, nodded his head from side to side before he spoke.  
  
“Excellent, Mr. Pence. Why don’t we get the cage we had bought for the lions and put him here on deck? He will be directly under our eyes and can see for himself how his gallows will look like.”   
  
“A brilliant idea as usual, captain.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Steve sat in his cage and waited. He wasn’t sure for what, maybe just an opportunity. It wouldn’t be a problem to get out of the cage, but he was indeed under constant surveillance. Beside the armed guards, his cage was in direct line of sight of the ship’s steering wheel, and he had also become the entertainment for everyone on board. At least it had become evening and with the sun doing down, he was finally out of the burning sun.   
  
Suddenly he felt as if a veil went over the whole ship. He could see that the guards and everybody else was suddenly unnaturally still. He wondered what that meant. The sound of footsteps revealed the source. Danny. Relief flooded Steve. Danny hadn’t forgotten him.  
  
“Are you always this kind of nuisance?”  
  
“Yes, probably.” Steve smiled.  
  
“I don’t know you,” Danny explained. “So this is the first time we met. Would you mind telling me about yourself?”  
  
“I’m Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett.”  
  
“Lt. Commander?”  
  
“Navy.”  
  
“Royal navy?”  
  
“No, American navy.”  
  
“Of course, an American,” Danny sighed.  
  
“You are an American as well.”  
  
“No, I’m not,” Danny protested. “I’m a proud citizen of the British Empire.”  
  
“If you say so, Danno.”  
  
“Danno?”  
  
“It’s your name. A nickname. It was given to you by your daughter.”  
  
“A nickname? So we are close where you are from?” Danny queried.  
  
“We are partners, you and I. We solve crimes together.”  
  
“I am in the navy?” Danny looked skeptical.   
  
“No, you are a police officer. We met for the first time when you were investigating the murder of my father and since then we worked together in a crime solving team with three other members.”  
  
“And we are friends?”  
  
“Yes, best friends. You sent me back in time. You are my anchor.” Steve looked at him pleadingly.  “And you’ve told me that you always feel it, when someone’s traveling back in time.”  
  
“I do.” Danny nodded. “I’ve felt your arrival.”  
  
Steve was relieved.   
  
“There must have been another time traveler today. Where is he?”  
  
Danny looked at him earnestly.  
  
“He is on the ship.”  
  
“He is on the ship?” Steve repeated.   
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Then we must find him.”  
  
“I can’t let you out,” Danny took a step back.  
  
“He is the murderer of my father and he wants to murder me. In the most complicated matter, but I must find him.”  
  
Steve stepped eagerly to the doors of the cage, only to be greeted with Danny’s defensive hand wave.  
  
“I can’t let you out,” he repeated. “Right now we are in a time bubble so I could talk to you, but there are limitations.”  
  
Steve looked around him. He had no idea how Danny’s magic worked but there were probably too many people with eyes on him.   
  
“Then you must find him.”  
  
“What does he look like?”  
  
“He is of Chinese descent…”  
  
Danny laughed.  
  
“You’ve heard the captain. This is an opium ship. There are far too many Chinese to find one man that I haven’t seen before.”  
  
“Okay, then you have the find the one he is trying to murder.”  
  
“Good, who is he going to murder?”  
  
“An ancestor of mine,” Steve stated. Danny looked at him expectantly.   
  
“I need more details.”  
  
Steve deflated. “I don’t have any,” he realized.  
  
“Great, so I’m looking for a Chinese on a ship where half of the passengers are Chinese to protect some ancestors of yours who are probably among the other half of the people on this ship. I’m a magician, but I need something to work on.”  
  
Steve stared desperately at Danny. There had to be something he could do.   
  
“Is there maybe someone named ‘Farlane’ on board?” Steve asked following a sudden hunch.  
  
With renewed intention Danny looked at him.   
  
“Yes, a woman. Do you think she is your ancestor?”  
  
“Maybe, I’m not sure. Damn, this would be better if I could look for myself.”  
  
Before Danny could explain again, Steve backpedaled. “I know, it’s impossible.”  
  
“Since we are already talking about impossible things. Do you have any plans to stop your execution tomorrow?”  
  
Steve grinned.  
  
“I won’t like it, will I?”  
  
“No, probably not.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Danny hadn’t liked the plan at all, Steve reminisced while he waited for the proceedings to start. The sun was already high in the sky and Steve felt his skin burning. He was starting to really looking forward to parts of his plan and was almost relieved when the crew had finally finished the improvised gallows. He was now brought to stand on a box with the noose around his neck.   
  
A crowd had gathered in front of him. It took him a moment to make out Danny among all the people. He was standing behind a woman who looked enough like Marianne Farlane, his great-grandmother, to be his ancestor. In an instant this thought was certainty when he spotted another familiar face next to her.   
  
Wo Fat.   
  
Who now grinned at him while raising a hand in her direction. Steve wasn’t sure but he thought he saw something flickering. Wo Fat threatened her with fire. Damn, he needed to do something, fast.  
  
He let his eyes flicker to Danny who moved closer to her before Steve felt the same veil over the ship. It was a strange view to see all people frozen, but Steve just closed his eyes to concentrate on the water next to the ship. He created a wave in his mind and prepared for the impact.   
  
As planned the gallows broke and he was free. Unfortunately the wave had also awakened everybody from their frozen stupor, but Steve used the confusion to his advantage and moved in direction of Wo Fat.   
  
Only he was a step too slow. Wo Fat had already grabbed the girl and dragged her now with her to the railing, holding a hand of fire against her.   
  
“Let her go,” Steve growled.  
  
“No, McGarrett, she is my last chance. Do you really think I will let her go?”  
  
Wo Fat deliberately lowered his hand and set her dress on fire. Steve now acted purely on instinct, ignoring the sobs of the girl that tried to beat out the flames. He called another wave to splash over Wo Fat and the girl. It wasn’t as controlled as his earlier attempt. It stopped the fire, but the backslash drove Wo Fat and the girl in the sea.  
  
Steve didn’t hesitate and jumped right after them. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed someone else also following him into the water, but his eyes were on Wo Fat, who now tried to drown the girl. Hindered by her dress she couldn’t really fight him, but with two, three fast strokes Steve was next to them.   
  
It was a fight for life and death. Wo Fat let the girl go and now concentrated all his forces on Steve. The water made him slippery and Steve couldn’t get a good hold on him. He suddenly felt a burning on his right arm and saw that Wo Fat had now a knife in his hand and in the next instant under the water. He merely sensed that it was aimed at his torso, trying to get himself out of reach but he still felt a scratch on his chest. It burnt like hell.   
  
He dived and grabbed Wo Fat by his legs, pulling him also under the water. Wo Fat struggled, Steve had to adjust his grip several times. It also didn’t help that Wo Fat also attacked his back in an attempt to get free. Steve could feel the stab wounds. They didn’t seem too deep, but he felt his strength weaken. The lack of oxygen burnt in his lungs, the salt water in the stab wounds, but he still held on, still kept Wo Fat under the water. It took ages until Wo Fat’s movements died down. Not trusting him, Steve loosened his hold. When nothing happened he grabbed him and returned to the surface. The first few breaths felt like heaven.   
  
“McGarrett. Oh my god, McGarrett, you cost me decades of my life.”  
  
Steve adjusted his hold on the unconscious body of Wo Fat and looked for Danny. With relief he noticed that Danny had the girl in a secure hold.   
  
“Are you alright?”   
  
The girl nodded. “Yes, we both are. What about you?”  
  
The lightheadedness of the oxygen disappeared slowly and Steve was aware of his wounds and the salt water washing against them. His shoulder also started to throb again and he wondered how long he would remain conscious.  
  
“Guess, I need a doctor.”  
  
“What about him?”  
  
“Just unconscious.”  
  
“So you have him?”  
  
“Yes,” Steve answered wonderingly.   
  
“You can return home,” Danny stated.  
  
“I can go home,” Steve repeated.  
  
“Did I give you something before your time travel started?”  
  
“Yes, this.” Clumsily Steve reached for the chain around his neck, holding the anchor.   
  
“Give it to me.”  
  
It felt strange now pulling it over his head. For a moment he held it in his fist before he handed it to Danny.   
  
“See you in the future.”  
  
“See you.”  
  
And Steve was claimed by the pull of time.


	9. Back home again - present

When Steve regained consciousness the first time, he could only make out Danno’s worried voice and a weight that was taken of him. The next time he only made the connection EMT before he passed out again. It was only the third time that he came to himself that he managed to stay awake for more than just a few moments. Although it took him way too much effort just to open his eyes.

Danno sat beside his bed on one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs, as Steve knew from his own experience. He was asleep and judging from the rumpled look he had spent a lot of time in this chair.

“Hey,” Steve called him. Or at least tried to, but all what came out was a hoarse rasping sound. It still had the desired effect. Danno startled awake. For a moment Steve could see affection and something else in Danno’s eyes, a feeling that made his intestines clench together. But this lasted only a moment before Danno scowled at him.

“God, you idiot.”

Danno sprang up and handed him an ice cube. Thankfully Steve swallowed around it.

“What were you thinking? Letting you get stabbed, just for this idiot.”

Steve tried to say something, but Danny interrupted him immediately.

“No, I waited over hundred years to yell at you for that, you can listen to me right now.”

Steve mouthed ‘sorry’.

“That’s not fair. You know how much I hate it when you do this. More than 100 years of preparation and you just apologize. God, I hate you so much right now. I didn’t even get to the part with the bullet wound. Which idiot seals a wound when the bullet wound is still in it?”

“I love you, too.”

Steve watched as Danno’s face transformed and he could see the usual mix of affection and exasperation. He hadn’t known how much he had missed this connection during his travels. Yes, Danno had been the same, but it was a Danno that Steve hadn’t met, who was still missing experiences that had made him into ‘his’ Danno. He had missed them, him and Danno. He had never known how much he relied on their relationship every day of his life.

“I love you too.” Danno grabbed Steve’s hand and pressed it shortly. “And because I’m an awesome friend, I go get a doctor. Knowing you, you want to leave immediately.”

Danno let his hand go and Steve missed it immediately. He wanted to touch Danno and suddenly the memory came back, the one from his short trip into the future. He wanted that, wanted their future together. He watched Danno leaving the room and resolved to talk to him as soon as possible.

 

* * *

 

“So you managed to come back to your rightful time?”

A voice startled Steve from the half-sleep he had slid into after Danno’s departure. He turned his head to look at the newcomer and had to smile.  

“Cynthia? Is that you? What are you doing here?”

She still looked as vibrant as the last time he had seen her which was about fifteen years ago. Or in his case only a few days.

“Well, after the doctors patched all the holes in your skin, Danny asked me to come to clear you out of any residual magic.”

“Residual magic?”

“You know just the usual, magical healing in the wrong place, a transforming potion, time traveling.”

“And you came all the way to Hawaii?”

“Had to know about Danny and his time traveler, so naturally I followed his call,” she grinned at him conspiratorially before getting back to business. “So, have you ever had a magical cleansing?”

For a moment he wanted to follow up on her conversation 15 years back, but something told him she would only tell him in her own time.

“Yes, with the Seals.”

She nodded.

“I understand. My version is probably a little less violent.”

Steve just grinned and watched her preparations.

“You can ask if you want to,” Cynthia stated suddenly.

“What do you mean?”

“About Danny.”

“How ...”

She looked at him pityingly.

“You are pretty transparent.”

Steve supposed that he was. At least when had to do with Danno.

“Do you know how time travel works?” Cynthia offered him an opening.

“With potions or time magic. Both are pretty rare,” he answered dutifully.

“Yes, both are pretty rare. For one thing, there are rules against it. Have been since the beginning of time, actually. Potions are complicated, nothing to mess with. The witch Wo Fat …” she looked questioningly at him, waiting for his confirmation, “… she was very powerful, but the potion still needed magicians of all elements. It’s not easy to get five powerful magicians in one place.”

“The murdered tourists … they were magicians?” Steve concluded.

“Probably. If they were working for criminals it is likely that they weren’t registered.”

Which probably explained why they hadn’t found anything on them.

“And time magic?”

“Only immortals or as they call themselves time magicians have the power to send someone on a time travel. But they also need time to prepare or they lose their immortality. It can happen anyway if they are not careful. It’s not a field that is researched because of the risks. Usually immortals don’t bother.”

“He hadn’t time to prepare,” Steve realized.

“That’s what I heard,” she confirmed.

“Danny lost his immortality?”

Cynthia sighed.

“Do you know the most common reason why immortals give up eternal life?”

She looked expectantly at him.

“Love?” It wasn’t really a question.

“Love,” she confirmed.

“You probably shouldn’t tell me this.”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t already know, Commander?”

 

* * *

 

Steve had thought that he would enjoy the first night back in his own home, in his own bed, but after a few hours of restless sleep, he gave up and made his way downstairs. He wasn’t surprised to find Danno on his sofa, although he had left several hours ago with clear instructions what Steve was and wasn’t allowed to do. The list with things he was allowed to do boiled down to sleep and using the bathroom. From the frown on Danno’s face walking in his own house was definitely excluded from this list.  

“What are you doing here?” Steve asked to prevent any kind of lecture. He wasn’t sure if it would work since Danno liked to give lectures, but he just blinked tiredly at him.

 “I couldn’t sleep.”

“And?”

“You have the better TV program.” This was only partially true, but Steve let it slide.

“What are we watching?”

“The game.” He didn’t ask which game, it didn’t matter to him. Instead he just made his way over to the couch and settled against Danno. They watched for several minutes in silence and Steve felt Danno’s heat seeping through his shirt. He leant his head against Danno’s shoulder and just breathed for several moments, listening to the heartbeat in the chest below him.

“You gave up eternity for me,” Steve murmured eventually. He felt Danno’s body tense under him for a short moment, until suddenly all tension went out of Danno’s body and he rearranged them so that he could cast one of his hands through Steve’s hair. The movement was soothing. Steve felt himself calm down and was tempted to just close his eyes.

“I had some good centuries.”

Steve thought about that. He wondered what he would do with centuries, eternity seemed tempting, but maybe this was be a topic for another night.

“You didn’t give it up for Rachel. Or Grace.”

The hand in his hair stilled minutely. 

“Knew you would come along.”

With that Steve’s heart started to beat faster. He turned to Danno and watched for a moment the light flickering over his face before he leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips.

“Sorry, it took me so long.”

Danno used the hand in his hair and pulled him down again. The next kiss was less chaste.

“Someday I’ll forgive you.”

Steve grinned.

“Really, someday? What if I apologize really nice?”

“You are doing this again, I told you …”

Steve stopped Danny’s tirade with another kiss.

“I love you.”

“Love you, too.” Danny replied grumpily before he closed the distance between them again.

“Now about that apology …”


	10. Epilogue - Future

 

“So you’re up to kissing strangers now?”

Steve laughed at Danno who was standing confused in the middle of their living room.

“I thought it was you.”

“Well, it was me,” Steve smiled. “Only five years younger.

“You never told me that you were also traveling in the future,” Danno pointed a finger in Steve’s chest.

“I wanted to surprise you.” Steve kissed him. For a short moment Danno allowed the distraction but then he leaned back.

“Surprise me? By not telling me that I changed time?”

Steve could see that Danno wasn’t serious about this accusation.

“I don’t think you did. I think we were always destined to be together.”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Art Masterpost: Mists of Time by daisybelle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10639029) by [GeckoGirl89](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89)




End file.
